Members of the Braidwood Urban Landcare Group undertook more willow removal work on Monkittee Creek at Bicentennial Park last week.
The group has been working on the site for a little over three years now. The group has been assisted by the Braidwood Rural Fire Service, Green Corps, various local contractors and in particular Tallaganda Shire Council who manage the land.
Bicentennial Park was chosen by the Landcare Group as a demonstration site for creek management because it is Council owned and is readily accessible. The work undertaken has been approved by the Department of Land and Water Conservation and Tallaganda Shire Council.
Over the past three years, large debris dams have been removed, some large willows have been pruned or felled, access has been improved and replanting has begun. Seasonal monitoring has already shown some improvements in water quality. Funding has come from various sources including the Catchment Management Committee, NSW Rivercare and the Sydney Catchment Authority.
The Landcare group does not anticipate undertaking any more willow removals of this scale at the park. The oldest willows, that are unlikely to fall into the creek have been left in place. A few of these oldest willows can be seen from photographs taken at the turn of the last century. The Landcare group recognises that the willows form an important part of Braidwood’s heritage. The roots of willows have been left in place to stabilise the bed and banks of the stream. The areas will be intensively replanted soon. All community members will be invited to help with the planting and to come and see what has been done. Working bees will be held each month.
All of the work undertaken so far has been consistent with a draft plan of management that the Landcare group has prepared in discussions with members of the Braidwood community and on the advice of people with expertise in willow management and platypus habitat. Copies of the draft plan are available to anyone interested. The Landcare group welcomes comments and involvement in its activities.
Many of Braidwood’s willows are at an age where they have fully grown. Many then collapse into the stream where they block flow, cause local flooding and erosion, then rot quite quickly, filling the bottom of the pools with a black ooze.
Five years ago, the area of willows on Flood Creek below the Archer Bridge was recognised as “the Cathedral” for its beautiful high canopy of tall willows. In the last two years, with no intervention from the Landcare group or the Council, this canopy has been almost completely lost, as huge trees have crashed into the creek. Removing these fallen trees one by one is slow and expensive work. This is the reason that large scale removal work such as last week’s work was done. Some selective removals are planned for Flood Creek below Archer Bridge next winter.
I have been working closely with the Braidwood Urban Landcare Group, supervising the willow work as part of their permit conditions. I apologise for any inconvenience or distress that the recent work may have caused. I anticipate that the overall amenity of the area will improve dramatically over the next few years. I can be contacted at the Braidwood office of the Department of Land and Water Conservation regarding the work on 4842 2594. PETER McADAM, Natural Resource Project Officer, DLWC Braidwood.
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